Can opener



I NOV. 5,1929. GARRISON 1,734,517

CAN OPENER Filed March 28, 1927 Patented Nov. 5, 1929 UNITED STATES HERMAN GARRISON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS CAN OPENER Application filed March 28, 1927. Serial No. 17835 2.

lhe object of this invention is, to make certain improvements on that can opener which is in most common use and which opcrates as a lever of the second class, with a guiding fulcrum at the end of the stock and a downwardly offset uppercut knife. This application relates to a modification of the fulcrum which will be of use in the employment of a longer knife than is at present 1 manufactured in openers of this type.

Fig. 1 is a side View, showing the stock A fitted to a handle, and knife B riveted to the stock. Upper an d lower cutting edges are indicated by double lines, the lower being rep quired for the introduction of the lengthened knife.

Fig. 2 is a partial top plan view, showing the strip metal stock A bent aside to form the fulcrum member D.

Fig. 3 is a front end view of the stocle showing the face of the fulcrum member D, and the notch E, which forms the fulcrum.

Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 show certain modifications in the form of the notch E, and the application of the same to the crimp of a can.

Fig. 9 shows still another modification in,

the shape of the notch, by which that part of the wall which is toward the center of the can is formed into a hook.

Fig. 10 illustrates a combination of the principles of construction exhibited in Fig. 7 and Fig. 9.

In Figs. 8, 7, 9, and 10, which exhibit only the face of thefulcrum member D, the view! is taken from the forward end of the instru ment, looking from the pointed end toward the handle.

In Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 8, which exhibit the fulcrum member in its relation to the can in vari, ous operative positions, the view is taken looking from the handle towards the pointed end.

The knife is curved so as to fit a circular can, and the notch is made vertical on the side toward the center of the can.

In considering what curvature of the knife will be best adapted to cans of various sizes, we find that a knife made to fit a small can is wholly impracticable, because its great curvature renders it diflicult of insertion, and when it is applied to a large can, the successive of shearing it. Such an adjustment having been made, the pressure of the knife against the inner wall ofa oanhavinggreater curvature than the knife will tend ,to throw the instrument into a slanting position. This is illustrated byFig. which represents a vpartial sectionof a can with the fulcrum member rest-ingon the crimp. represents a section of the knife. This view is taken looking forward from the handle toward the point, and Y the notch is shown with its usual circular .or elliptical are. It willbe seen that the verti- .cal notch ,of Fig. ;3 would prove useful in holding the fulcrum to its position on the crimp of the can, its relation thereto being shown by Fig. 5. l

The vertical notch has a second and more important function. When the cut is completed, a clockwise rotation imparted tothe handle will bring the bumper into the position of 6. By this means .the flat side of the knife will be pressed up against the loosened part of the top of the can, which can ,thus be pried out of its position by raisi n g the handle.

It may, be noted ;that the vertical notch could-not produce this result .ifusedon these openers as at present manufactured, the knife being tooflshort to serve thepurpose. ,Since the ,Qsharpening :of the lowerledgeiof the knife is essential to the introduction .of a longer .iknife into the can, and its lateral curvature is essential to its operation, we have a functional co-operation among three distinct elements of structure: the lower cutting edge, the lateral curvature, and the vertical notch. This combination is believed to be a novel one.

Fig. 7, which is a view of the front face of the fulcrum member, shows a variation in the form of the notch due to a downward extension of the vertical wall, which might add to its efficiency.

It would be possible to cite numerous examples of a guard or guide appended to the stock and extending down on the outside of the vertical wall of the can, a device which, by the way, is perfectly useless, and which exists only on paper, never in manufacture; but I am not aware of the existence of such a structure designed to operate on the inner side of the crimp.

Fig. 8 illustrates the position of the fulcrum of Fig. 7, when used in prying out the top of the can.

I claim:

1. A can opener in the form of a lever of the second class, having a guiding fulcrum formed by a recess at the end of a handled stock, and a downwardly offset uppercut knife, secured to the stock and extending forward past the guiding fulcrum; said knife being laterally curved in the direction of its length, and provided with an additional cutting edge on its lower margin; the inner wall of the recess which forms the fulcrum being provided with a substantially vertical face on that side of the said recess which is toward the center of curvature of the directional curve of the knife; the said vertical face extending practically as far'downward as does the opposite face of the inner wall of the recess, which liestoward the outer side of the directional curve of the knife; and the said opposite face being so constructed as to recede in a sloping direction from the summit of the recess, the basal width of the said. recess being sensibly greater than its altitude.

2. A can opener in the form of a lever of the second class, having a guiding fulcrum formed by a recess at the end of a handled stock, and a downwardly offset uppercut knife secured to the stock and extending forward past the guiding fulcrum; said knife being laterally curved in the direction of its length and provided with a cutting edge on its lower margin; and that limb of the inner wall of the fulcrum-forming recess which lies toward the center of curvature of the directional curve of the knife being of agreater vertical extent than the opposite limb of the said inner wall, and being so constructed as to terminate downwardly with a hook adapted to engage the inner surface of the head of the can.

HERMAN GARRISON. 

